Nowadays memes about astrology pop up on most social media feeds — whether it’s about specific sun signs or folks worrying about Mercury going into retrograde. More people have been curious about what the “zodiac top three” means or if a love interests are compatible based on their natal chart.
For millennia, the practice of astrology was more than pop culture fodder. Civilizations around the world looked to celestial luminaries — the moon, stars and planets — for guidance on relationships, during wartime and when making political decisions.
Astrologer Jade Moore tracks the cosmos personally and professionally at her store Sincerely, the Craft in Midtown. She told St. Louis on the Air that the renewed interest in astrology is exciting, but added that there remain many misconceptions about the practice, as it has historically been ostracized.
“Sometimes when we talk about predetermination, that doesn't settle well in certain religious cultures,” Moore said. “[People ask], ‘Is it an occult practice? Is it pseudoscience? Is it science? And am I allowed to use it?'”
Moore regularly has conversations with patrons in her store who seek understanding about astrology — so much so that she now offers classes on how to read and interpret natal charts, which map where each planet of the solar system is positioned at specific moments in time.
“This is more than just your sun sign,” Moore explained. “We work with about eight planets. We place them in the houses and the zodiac signs. … There's your sun sign. But that really only determines your superficial identity, meaning what you're showing the world.”
Moore helps people dive deeper into their natal charts, beyond the more commonly known sun sign.
“We look at the moon — that's your emotional response to [stimuli] that's outside of you. And then you look at the mercury, this is how we communicate with people, and so on and so forth.”
For Moore, part of studying astrology is recognizing patterns between historic events and the location of constellations and planets at that time. This practice is called mundane astrology.
“I love getting a hold of someone who doesn't believe in the spiritual aspect [of astrology], but there's so much more to it, especially when I can throw something out there like the patterns of the eclipses,” she said. “More times than not, it is a fall of an empire, like the Roman Empire. The Civil War was enacted during a solar eclipse. [Eclipses are] normally malefic, which isn't always the best type of situation.”
For more on the history and culture behind astrology — including the relationship between first lady Nancy Reagan and a Missouri-born astrologer — and how Jade Moore explains astrology to skeptics, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
